With the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES year ahead, it is not hard to guess how Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout is feeling: the 23-year-old Dutchman is eager to begin his fifth season at the highest level of American open-wheel racing.
“I feel good and ready for what will be my fifth season”
Rinus ‘Veekay’ van Kalmthout – IndyCar driver at Ed Carpenter Racing
Before traditionally kicking off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, another collective test session at the shortened Sebring circuit was scheduled for VeeKay and consorts. VeeKay, who will also race for team Ed Carpenter Racing in 2024, unveiled his new livery shortly before the concluding two-day test. The Fort Lauderdale-based Hoofddorper can be recognized this year by an eye-catching, green-black livery.
This is because of an agreement his employer ECR made with the company askROI.com, an AI (artificial intelligence) extension for small and medium-sized businesses. askROI.com will be visible on VeeKay’s #21 Chevrolet during various events on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, including the season opener in St. Petersburg and the famed Indianapolis 500. askROI.com is a company owned by businessman Todd Ault, who has been providing ECR’s cars with sticker logos through his various companies for several years.
Dressed in green and black, VeeKay took to the asphalt in Florida on Monday morning (local time) to shoot right out of the starting blocks. The talented twenty-something immediately showed he had lost none of his speed during the long winter break. VeeKay recorded a neat, hopeful second time, shortly behind Andretti Honda driver Kyle Kirkwood. This allowed the Dutchman to call himself the fastest Chevrolet driver.
In the afternoon session ECR decided to focus more on tuning the IndyCar car, where driving on new rubber proved to be a challenge. As such, the super-fast laps turned out to be lacking, but with a tenth-place finish, VeeKay still came out fine. The one-time IndyCar race winner may hand over the wheel to his new teammate, reigning Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen, for Tuesday’s test session (today).
“Finally I was able to take my seat in an IndyCar again,” sounds a happy VeeKay, who was only allowed to drive a few laps on the Homestead-Miami oval in 2024, from Florida. “The start was very strong. We recorded a second time in the morning session, conceding only a few hundredths to Kirkwood’s Andretti.”
“During the afternoon session we have been busy balancing on new tires. We haven’t quite found the perfect balance yet, but we’re happy with the work we’ve done. There were several tasks on the program that we completed successfully. A good day of testing that we got a lot out of.”
With next week’s season opener in mind, VeeKay is eagerly waiting. “I feel good and ready for what will be my fifth season at the highest level in America. Today (Tuesday) I get to give Christian (Rasmussen) another hand with testing and then we can focus one hundred percent on St. Pete,” VeeKay concludes belligerently.
The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins next week on the streets of St. Petersburg. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks off on Sunday, March 10 around the clock of 6:30 p.m. Dutch time and can be followed live via Ziggo Sport Racing.
